The present disclosure is directed to connecting consumers with service providers.
Systems have been developed to connect consumers and their providers over the Internet and the World Wide Web. Some systems use e-mail messaging and web-based forms to increase the level of connectivity between a member of a health plan and his assigned health care provider. The consumer sends an e-mail or goes to a website that generates and sends a message (typically an e-mail or an e-mail type message) to a local provider. These types of services have been broadly referred to as “e-visits.”
Other health care solutions include technologically advanced telephone communication solutions that use advances in voice communication and data transmission technology to interconnect medical professionals with patients.
For instance, a professional association contracts with providers capable of providing the necessary services to consumers. Consumers call a toll-free number to request a consultation with a provider. The request is processed after the consumer hangs up the telephone and the consumer waits for a return phone call. While this arrangement can have certain advantages of potentially providing lower cost for services such as health consolations to patients, there are drawbacks.
One particular drawback is that patients wait for the return call from the physician. This can be frustrating when an immediate consultation is desired. Moreover, with the callback, the patient may become unavailable when the physician finally calls the patient back. Accordingly, such patients may opt to visit the emergency room a local hospital instead of waiting for the return phone call.